


Coffeehouse Savior

by damerey_knows



Series: Damerey December 2018 [1]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Ice Skating, angst followed by fluff, fake dating au, past abusive relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 21:06:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16730625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damerey_knows/pseuds/damerey_knows
Summary: When Rey runs into her abusive ex while waiting for Finn she turns to find someone to help her out.





	Coffeehouse Savior

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, 
> 
> Hope you all had happy holidays (or if you're outside the US a happy week). 
> 
> Here's the first in a line of one shots I'm planning on doing over all of December and part of January. My office is being remodeled so I will be working from home and will have a bunch more time to write. Feel Free to send me requests [Here](http://supremequeenofthenerds.tumblr.com/ask) I have one or two prompts I'm working on already but I could always do with some more <3
> 
>  
> 
> WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER
> 
> There is some attempted gaslighting/manipulation at the beginning but it is quickly put an end to and the dickhead is told to gtfo. but if that is something that bothers you, you can skip from the beginning down to the line "Poe stood there for a moment" the rest is fluffy i swear <3

“Shit,” Rey hissed as she quickly ducked behind a booth at the back of the coffeehouse. Finn was supposed to meet her here with his friend before they went ice skating. Ben Solo was  _not_ supposed to appear in all his gloom and doom.

“Shit, shit, shit.” She tried to walk past him without being noticed. Looking around desperately she saw a guy with curly black hair reclining against the counter alone.

Darting around a frazzled-looking mom and her stroller, she scurried up to the guy. “Hi,” she said a little breathlessly. “I’m so sorry but can you help me for like five minutes?”

The man looked up from his coffee as she spoke, a warm, bemused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Uh, sure.”

“Rey!”

Rey’s shoulders hunched at the sound of her name. “Pretend to be my boyfriend? I’ll explain la-”

“Rey!” Ben’s voice was closer, more insistent. The man’s dark eyes shifted over her shoulder as he gave her a discrete nod, his eyes betraying a note of concern for a moment before sliding into a neutral smile. His hand reached out and took hers just as she heard Ben walking up behind her.

Fixing a fake smile on her face, Rey turned to her ex-boyfriend. Rey took small comfort in the hand on hers. She didn’t know this man from Adam, but he clearly understood the situation in less time than she could have possibly hoped.

“I’ve been trying to call you for weeks,” Ben said.

Rey felt her shoulders hunch slightly at his accusation. “Been busy, sorry.”

“So busy you couldn’t even text me back?” Ben asked, his expression sad, trying to win her sympathy.

“Yes,” she said flatly.

“I-” he started. “I miss you. I want to try again.”

Rey opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

“Please, Rey. I need you. I can’t get better without you. I know I haven’t been great, but I’ve been to counseling and I don’t want to do this without you.”

There had been a time in her life where she would have helped him, where she would have wanted to stay with him, but things were different now. Things couldn’t go back to the way they were, not for her at least. Taking a deep breath, she felt the hand on her wrist move to rest, heavy and comforting, between her shoulder blades. Crossing her arms in front of her chest she said, “Good for you, I’m glad you’re getting help.”

“Please, Rey?” Ben began. “I know I can be better, now, with you. Please?”

“Ben, I can’t-” Rey started. “There’s a reason I left before. I can’t do that again.”

“But-” Ben started, but just then the man at the counter cut in.

“You gonna introduce me, Sweetheart?” he asked, his tone perfectly calm as his hand moved to her shoulder, helping to calm the tremble that was rocking through her. How she could be so comfortable with a man she’d literally just met, someone who’s name she didn’t even know, was beyond her. “Poe Dameron,” the man said, leaning around her to offer his hand to Ben.

Ben stared at the offered hand, then at the hand on Rey’s shoulder. “Who’s this?” he demanded, his tone changing from pleading to hostile in the blink of an eye.

“This is P-Poe. We’ve been seeing each other,” Rey said, praying he wouldn’t hear the stutter in her voice.

“Sorry she’s been so busy, we’ve only just gotten back in town,” Poe lied smoothly, his cocky smile never wavering.

Ben looked incensed. “What do you mean ‘just got back’?”

Poe shrugged, the hand on Rey’s shoulder pulling her gently back a step from Ben. “Visited my dad in Florida. Weather’s much nicer there, but signal’s kinda shitty.”

“Are you shitting me right now, scavenger?” Ben was almost spitting he was so mad. “You’d choose him over me?”

Poe gave her shoulder a slight squeeze and Rey took a deep breath. “Look,” she said. “I’m glad you’re getting help and sticking to your meds, but I can’t be with you like before. I need to take care of myself and being with you was hurting me.”

“But I _need you!_ ” Ben snarled, grabbing her wrist harshly and pulling her away from Poe.

“Hey!” Poe shouted, jumping down from his stool and putting himself between Rey and Ben. “You need to back off.”

Ben stood a full head taller than Poe, but something in the way that Poe glared at him gave the command that much more weight.

Ben studied Poe’s face for a long minute before stepping back and saying, “This isn’t over, scavenger,” before striding proudly from the coffeehouse.

Poe stood there for a moment, watching until Ben’s hulking figure disappeared from the windows of the cafe. He let out a breath, his shoulders relaxing as he turned back to Rey. “Are you all right?”

Rey’s strength seemed to sap away, her shoulders heaving with barely controlled sobs as she pressed her hand to her mouth.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Poe’s hands on her shoulders guided her to sit on his vacant bar stool.

“I’m sorry, I just-” Rey tried to explain, but she was still coming down from her emotions. Suddenly, she saw Poe’s hand offering her a napkin. “Thank you,” she said emphatically, finally looking up at his face.

His smile was easy and reassuring. “Don’t worry about it, always happy to help.”

“I honestly don’t know what I would have done if I was alone.” Rey picked at her napkin. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, honestly,” he said. “He sounded like a jackass.”

Rey couldn’t help letting out a short laugh. “He really was.”

“Can I get you anything?” Poe asked, his voice kind. “Coffee? Water? A baseball bat?”

Rey laughed at that. Finally getting her breathing under control, she asked for some water. She dabbed at her eyes as Poe flagged down the barista across the counter.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Poe asked, handing her the water.

Rey took another deep, steadying breath. “I guess I owe you an explanation.”

“You don’t owe me anything, really.” Poe’s earnest eyes bore into hers as he spoke.

“It’s just-” Rey started, floundering for the right words. “It wasn’t the best relationship to begin with, and we only broke up a little over two months ago, well I left him,” she amended, shuddering at the memory of why she’d left. “I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

“Understandable,” Poe said, sitting down on the bar stool next to her. “You need to do what’s right for you.”

“Thank you, again.”

Poe smiled at her.

“So,” Rey started, trying to change the subject to lighter topics. “When you aren’t saving rando’s in coffee shops, what do you do?”

“I’m an Air Force pilot,” Poe said.

“Ooh, that’s cool. Been anywhere fun?” Rey couldn’t help asking. “I’ve always wanted to travel.”

They lapsed into an easy conversation, the trembling in Rey’s hands slowly calming as the thought of Ben drifted further and further from her mind.

In the middle of Poe’s story about him and his friend Snap’s misadventure with a goat in Afghanistan, Rey heard her name being called from the front of the shop.

Smiling more naturally this time, Rey turned to see Finn and his girlfriend Rose making their way over to them. “Hey guys!” she called when they were closer.

Rose threw her arms around Rey in an enthusiastic hug.

“Hey, Finn,” Poe said, a slightly bemused smile on his face as Finn turned to him.

“Poe!” Finn said, engulfing Poe in a hug as well, before pulling back and pointing between Poe and Rey. “How do you two know each other?”

“Ben was-” Rey said at the same moment that Poe said, “Pure luck.”

Looking at each other they laughed.

“I want the full story as soon as I get back,” Rose ordered before turning to get coffee for herself and Finn.

When she got back, they all shuffled to a booth, Finn and Rose sitting on one side, Rey sitting next to Poe.

“Well?” Rose prompted.

“You want the ten second version?” Rey asked.

“I want a version,” Finn said smiling between the two.

Rey took a deep breath. “Ben showed up, saw me, and Poe pretended to be my boyfriend until he left.”

Rose’s eyebrows rose, disappearing under her bangs. Finn’s fist clenched as he looked between Rey and Poe. “Are you all right?” he asked, his voice carefully controlled.

Rey nodded. “Yep, I’m fine. Poe got rid of him a lot faster than I could have.”

Finn turned to Poe as Rose reached out and grabbed Rey’s hands. “Thanks, man,” he said emphatically.

Poe shrugged, as though it was nothing. “Happy to help.”

Rose looked between Rey and Poe for a moment before shooting Rey a _look_.

 _What?_ Rey mouthed to her.

Rose’s smile was impish, as if she knew something Rey didn’t, before she turned to Finn. “Well, should we go?”

Rey had almost forgotten that they had been planning to go ice skating. _I guess Poe is the friend Finn mentioned,_ Rey thought to herself as they all made their way to the door of the coffeehouse.

As they left, Rose slid her arm through Rey’s, pulling her slightly to let the guys walk ahead of them. “So,” Rose whispered to Rey. “What do you think of Poe?”

Rey could hear the double entendre in her voice. A blush coloring her cheeks as she spoke, “He’s really nice.”

“And…” Rose prompted.

“And what?” Rey asked.

Rose shot her another look, but before she could speak Finn called back to them to hurry up. Poe and Finn were standing looking back at them curiously, Finn’s face holding the same expression as Rose’s.

They picked up the pace as they made their way towards Maggie Daley Park.

Finn and Rose disappeared early on, deciding to race each other down the skating ribbon, leaving Poe and Rey alone as they stepped out onto the ice.

“Fair warning,” Rey said as they stepped out onto the ice. “I’ve never done this before.”

Poe laughed and held out his hand. “Here, let me help you.”

Rey smiled and took his hand. He pulled them away from the outer railing and into the middle of the ribbon. They made their way around a couple and their wobbling toddler.

They continued their way slowly around the ribbon, Rey gripping onto Poe’s hand tightly as he showed her how to move her feet.

“Boo!”

Rey had been looking down at her skates, trying her best not to tip over, when Finn had come up behind her and startled her. Jumping, she bumped into Poe and almost took them both down hard. Poe gripped her waist tightly, digging his skates in to stop them as Finn wove around them.

“Asshole!” Rey shouted after him as he and Rose disappeared around the next bend in the ribbon, both cackling loudly. After a moment she realized that she was still clinging onto Poe. She looked up at him, her blush still staining her cheeks. “Sorry,” she mumbled, righting herself.

Poe was smiling softly at her, his hands still on her waist. “Don’t worry about it,” he said.

Rey was hyper-aware of how close they were in that moment, her hands still gripping tightly to the lapels of his jacket, but his easy countenance calmed her nerves, even as they lit something deep in her chest. They broke apart and slid down the path again.

They ended up skating for a few hours before finally conceding to the bitter November Chicago air. Rey sent Finn and Rose a quick text as they returned their skates.

 _Have fun!_ Finn’s responding text was quick. Rose’s message was an incoherent mess of emojis.

Rey rolled her eyes. She wasn’t even going to bother trying to figure out what Rose meant.

“So,” Poe said as they walked out of the doors. “I hope this isn’t too forward of me, but I was wondering if I could take you out on a date.”

Rey felt like her blush would melt the snow that began to fall around them. “I- I would love to,” she stuttered.

Poe’s answering smile was brilliant.

Rey tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow as they made their way down the street. This day had been a whirlwind of emotions, but Poe made her feel so comfortable and she couldn’t help but feel attracted to him. She wondered if this was Finn and Rose’s master plan. It would give all the weird looks some context. Oh well, she could always devise ways to get them back (or thank them) later. 

**Author's Note:**

> So what did you think?  
> \- Jumana 
> 
> If anyone wants to send me prompts feel free to do so [Here](http://supremequeenofthenerds.tumblr.com/ask)


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